El Chaltén is my kind of destination - no crazy traffic, pollution, congestion, crowded sidewalks. Founded in 1985 to settle land disputes with Chile, the population is a mere 600 in the off-season, and 1600 in the high season, while we were there. The small, simple cottage-style homes and shops keep it real, with the people of Buenos Aires choosing Calafate, the larger, more populated city 2 hours south of El Chaltén, as their vacation spot. Fine with me! El Chaltén has still managed to maintain its charm; it seems to be reserved for the hard-core trekkers, rock climbers, and people who can´t sit still - like us!
4:30am - arrived by bus to El Chaltén
5-6am - watched the sun rise over the cliffs and hills surrounding the town and illuminate the peaks with a pinkish tint
7am - eat a yummy breakfast
10:30-1:30pm - Rosario drove us out to her family´s estancia (ranch), where we met our 4-legged galloping friends, Sandy, Obelique, and Gan, and our guide, Rubén. A beautiful sunny day, and no broken necks despite our failed efforts to suppress our laughter. This made it very difficult to stay on the horse, but we managed.
1:30-4pm - met Rosario´s husband, eldest daughter, Rocío, and youngest daughter, Pilar, with whom we visited and asked cultural questions while they grilled our dinner of lamb on an open spit.
Returned to town, and I crashed for most of the rest of the evening!
New Year´s Eve: More relaxing day that included massages for Kir and me, naps, journaling, and sharing mate with a couple people in our backpackers common area. Dinner with Karina, then a New Year´s Eve party in a barn outside of town, complete with live local ska bands, balloons, a disco ball, and LOTS of people.
New Year´s Day: 3 hours of sleep, followed by a 14-hour hike including a zipline across a river, a Torre Glacier hike with cramp-ons, and even a 30-ft. glacier climb!
I was sad to say goodbye to El Chaltén early the next morning, partly because it reminded me of home (except that my hometown is not surrounded by majestic mountains, peaks, cliffs, and towered over by glaciers), and partly because we had yet to catch up on our sleep since 2009 (the 31st, that is). However, it would be a few days before we would have a chance to refill on rest.
Pics!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23065175@N02/sets/72157623311318808/
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